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If this is a grand piano, the damper bushing may be too tight. This is located under the damper felt, to one side. The damper wire goes though it. Spray a little bit of silicone or teflon lube on the felt bushing using a tube on the nozzle to direct the spray. Move the damper up and down by hand, pressing it gently against the felt bushing in all directions. Remember-gently. If this doesn't free it up, the underlever is too tight, or the sostonuto is hanging it up. Both of these require a tech to fix. P. S. Don't use WD-40. (or any other oil)

I noticed that one or two of the dampers were slightly out of alignment and rubbing against their neighbour, thus causing them to stop in mid action. A slight rotation of the dampers was enough to free them of each other and enable them to work 'independantly'.

What made you move, Bob? And do you miss fish 'n' chips with a cup o' Rosey Lea? Heh heh! I live in Leeds at the moment, and work in Sheffield. Looking for another job though. Perhaps the states...hmmm.

I saw a 1910 (approx) Bluthner grand in a store (see www.piano-uk.com) last saturday. All dusty and chipped it was, but seemingly a good candidate for renovation. I gather that the signiture pianos are capable of withsatnding the process, (I don't recall seeing a fourth string! heh heh.) but would you reckon a nacked Bluthner grand is a wise purchase?

P.S. I have a chap coming round tomorrow to tune my upright and look at the damper problems (and other stuff)I'm experiancing. Hopefully a bit of silicone will do the trick. Otherwise, might it be neccessary to re-bush the dampers? And would this be expensive?

Hey, John, I try to get back to old England every year or two. Fish and Chips is always part of that, as is treacle tart, shepards pie, marmite, golden syrup, and lots more that are hard to come by in the USA. By the way, I was only six when my parents brought me to America, so I didn't have much of a say in it. I'm 41, still an English citizen, and proud of it.

I have a knackered Bluthner grand myself. They are, on the whole, excellent pianos either simply reconditioned or totally restored. Anything from about 1885 onwards has potential (make sure you get it checked over first, obviously).

If the piano you saw was the Model 11 that Besbrode have in stock - it looks like a relatively new piano (1950's?), but you might want to hold out for something larger for any great improvement over a Bluthner upright.

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"After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music." - Aldous Huxley